


FFXIV Write 2020

by AceSpade



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Character tags will be added as I go, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, look at the chapter names and guess, pretty much just
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28183671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceSpade/pseuds/AceSpade
Summary: A long overdue FFXIV Writing challenge! I had no intent of doing this, but as I finally got past a point in Stormblood I lost at, I feel like I can do this! Kind of! This features five Warriors of Light and switches between them with the chapter.Current Prompt:TeamIt took another moment for someone to speak up. "So you're the one that marched through the streets-""Wearing a maid outfit, yes." Light sighed. "That was me. A situation I'd rather forget, but if I didn't everyone would get me mixed up with Vincent."
Relationships: Aymeric de Borel & Warrior of Light, Edmont de Fortemps & Warrior of Light, Jacke Swallow/Warrior of Light, Jacke Swallow/Warrior of Light/Thancred Waters, Warrior of Light/Thancred Waters
Kudos: 2





	1. Lyra - Crux

_"We'll have the tactical advance if we start from here."_

From the doorway, Lyra could hear her squadron's bickering. From what she had gathered, they were arguing how best to proceed with a situation they were given. Her ears deflated a bit at the thought.

On one hand, it was nice that they were getting good enough to start planning by themselves. On the other, it was sad to see who she essentially called her "children" grow up so quickly. Was she acting like an old woman with her kids...?

_"Maybe we should ask Miss Lyra! She'll know what to do!"_

The viera paused. They were going to call for her. She tip-toed as quietly and quickly as she could away from the door, and turned around. She gave the quartermaster small nod after noticing the look she was receiving, then pretended to walk towards the barracks. At that moment did one of the squadron's members, a male Roegadyn, decide to open the door and walk out. Lyra stopped herself from walking into him altogether, and tilted her head up slightly to look at him.

"Cap'n Lyra! We was just lookin' fer ye!" Lyra tried her best not to scrunch her nose at the accent. She was never good with strong accents.

"Oh?" She faked innocence for the sake of the conversation. "And what, pray tell, would you require of me?"

The Roegadyn - was his name Long Night or Long Sea? The viera figured she was coming of age where she could be considered "old" to some people, maybe she could excuse it as bad memory - led her through the hall and to the room her squadron inhabited.

A Roegadyn woman - Clever Clover, if Lyra remembered correctly - stood beside a Lalafellen boy that was sitting on the table, pointing to an area on the map - Kokoni Koni was his name. A miqo'te woman - D'sahri, Lyra remembers that one easily as she was her first pick - was conversing with Kokoni about the map. She approached, which seemed to get their attention, as they gave her a serpent salute.

A second after both had gave her a warm "Captain!" and "Ma'am!" did D'sahri start talking.

"We were trying to tell Clover and Sea here about tactical advantage, but they wanted to just go head-in!"

Lyra hummed, taking this into consideration. Sea was a pugilist, and Clover was a Marauder. It was no wonder they wanted to use their muscles and not think about this one. D'sahri was a Rogue, and Kokoni was a White Mage. 

"...This is a rescue mission, correct?" She asked. A chorus of 'yes' rang out, with a single nod from Clover. Lyra looked onto the map, taking in every note they had made and what could happen.

"...D'sahri, you're a Rogue. You work best in the shadows." She commented. Her gaze landed on Clover. "You're a Marauder, and you're a tank as well."

With a nod of affirmation from Clover, the viera continued. "There are two ways this mission can go. The first is if you stick together as a group and get through it. This will require many pulls, possibly death on Clover's part, and if it is not pulled off properly, the hostage could be killed."

Lyra let that sink in with her squadron members. "The second is you split up. Granted, Clover and Kokoni will have to stick together, but this would be the most effective plan."

"The crux of mission is that the hostage should be freed and escorted out of there as soon as possible. Something you must remember is that the leader is nothing without his guards. Luring the guards away from him should give D'sahri and Sea enough time to take down the leader, and then joining them once you've finished off with the guards."

She looked over to the two DPS members on the team. "Make sure you stock up on the highest potions you have, and remember that the time limit between uses-"

"Doesn't give them any effect, yeah yeah." Clover responded. "We won't let ya down, Captain."

Lyra nodded, then looked to the clock on the wall. "I'll have to leave now, but I'm counting on you. And remember that failure does not mean disappointment. It's rare to see people succeed on their first try."

"Bah, we'll win! We've got a bleedin' Warrior o' Light as our leader!" Sea responded, clearly hyping himself up to avoid his doubt. She smiled, then turned to leave the barracks.

Of course she was sad her children has grown so much in such little time. But like any mother, watching them grow from their experiences was possibly the best thing she could witness from them. She'd look forward to what news the Sergeant had in store for her when she returned.


	2. Vincent - Sway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't do accents to save myself, so I'm sorry Vincent's dialogue is a bit off.

Vincent wasn't drunk, at least. That much was worth celebrating for, right? With how much alcohol was packed in the place, it's surprising that Vincent hadn't touched a single glass laid before him, wine swirling in it. Some people could call it a miracle, though one Aymeric de Borel knew better.

Vincent, unfortunately, was a simple man. If alcohol was given to him, he'd drink until he couldn't stand the stench and would try not to throw up. Vincent was harder to read when he was drunk, but when he was sober - which was, admittedly, close to _never_ \- he was as easy to judge as a book's back description. And now was one of those times.

He wasn't surrounded by anyone, which made this easier for Aymeric. He approached him without a word and sat beside him, taking the glass he was staring at and downing it in one go. Vincent stared at him with wide eyes, confused.

"'av I been joined by th' one 'n only? Ser Aymeric de Borel himself?" The miqo'te grinned. "What an honor."

Aymeric shrugged. "Tis nothing compared to you, dear friend. You have yet to forget all the deeds you've done for us, which has us celebrating now."

Vincent seemed to know where this was going, judging by the expression that flashed on his face briefly. "Didn't think ye'd be th' one fer flirtin' now. Yer gonna kiss me or not, _Ser_?"

The elezen let out a genuine laugh at the small joke, then leaned in close to Vincent. Under normal circumstances, he might've refrained from leaning so close to the miqo'te. However, this wasn't a "normal circumstance"; their roles here were reversed seeing as Aymeric was the one under the slight influence of alcohol and Vincent was the one that was sober.

Vincent looked around. Of course some eyes were on them, Aymeric had no doubt about that. Would they try and stop him? No, certainly not. Who would dare intervene with the "love life" of the Lord Commander of the Temple Knights?

"Why aren't you drunk?" Aymeric assumed normal people would be offended by such a question, but this was Vincent Klauser they were talking about. The most skilled White Mage Ishgard has seen, and one of the Warriors of Light. And a well known drunkard for his habit of having at least two glasses of ale before starting the morning, and with frequent trips to local bars during his travels. He's been drunk more times than sober, so really, was that an unreasonable question?

Vincent didn't seem to think so. He just sighed, and let Aymeric lean away before beginning.

"Rough week." He shrugged, which earned a questionable raise of the eyebrows from Aymeric. Vincent was quick to add onto his response "Not like that. Light's been 'avin' nightmares, Spencer 'n Horufette 'ave lost their fightin' spirit fer a bit, Lyra's been hard t' get hold of. I don't reckon ye know what's been goin' on, do ye?"

That was certainly not what the Lord Commander expected, and he'd seen men and women alike have hard times hit them. Vincent looked away and back to that glass that was in front of Aymeric now.

"Didn't think so." He leaned back in his seat, his eyes still on the empty glass. "Every time I drink, there's somethin' that I've gotta think 'bout. Like why I'm drinkin'. It enhances my healin' abilities, y'know. Weird logic, but 'at's what it does. 'n I can't drink without thinkin' of them. 's what I get fer bein' the oldest, aye?"

Aymeric let his words sink in for a moment before frowning. He looked to a different side of the room where Light and Horufette were together. Light didn't drink so he looked about normal, though Horufette looked like he was losing a very intense drinking contest with someone else. Spencer was his opponent, though Aymeric couldn't see her face.

Lyra was nowhere to be found, and while she could have her reason she should have known that both Spencer and Horufette would be drinking. She was the most responsible one and hardly ever missed out a celebration with alcohol in it, in fear her friends didn't get back home before passing out. Clearly Light wasn't capable of carrying any of the three, as his height pretty much undermined any effort he could put in, but even if Vincent wasn't drunk - like now - Lyra couldn't have known.

There really was something going on, wasn't there? Aymeric turned to see Vincent getting up and staggering towards the door, swaying slightly. Was this how he acted when he wasn't drunk, or was this genuine?

He shook his head and got up, rushing to the smaller one's side. He helped him stand straight for a moment before Vincent nearly collapsed forwards. The small commotion they made seemed to draw Light's attention, as he made his way from the contest to Vincent's other side.

"Is he okay...?" He asked quietly. Aymeric suspected the question was aimed more towards Vincent than him, but he answered anyway.

"He just got up. Has he been drinking recently?"

Light paused for a moment. The elezen could nearly see the thoughts running through his head as he backtracked to this morning. After some time of waiting, he shook his head and looked back to Vincent.

"I was making breakfast this morning. He... he didn't take a glass of alcohol. I don't know why." Though his tone changed, his expression didn't. His face was stone cold- like Vincent had committed a crime.

"I'll see to it that he sleeps tonight, and I'll make sure he gets treated when he wakes up." Light nodded, taking Vincent's arm and wrapping it around his neck. Despite their clear height difference, Light was quite strong and managed to drag the older one off to who knows where?

Aymeric looked to Lucia, who had been eyeing him from another table. She nodded and approached Horufette and Spencer. Aymeric, meanwhile, looked back to the door.

"There will be much to discuss." He frowned, promptly leaving the room.

It was supposed to be a celebration, yes, but why did it feel like so many more problems arose from a single talk?


	3. Light - Muster

If he didn't do this, he knew what was on the line.

That's the thought that ran through Light's head, anyway. It was this or everything else, and that was what kept him going. Holding his breath, he opened a door quietly, peeking inside.

The guild was surprisingly empty. Usually, it wouldn't be unordinary to find close to nobody there, but at least someone was keeping the guild in check. Today, there was no one. Not a single person decided to stay.

Which made this all the more perfect for his plan. He sat in that one chair, the famous chair of the guild master, and waited. He waited his time out, thinking over everything this could possibly effect.

What would Thancred say about all this? Well, he already answered one question, but he didn't seem to care about the rest. Was he really fine with this? Would he be able to withstand the person Light had in mind?

Time seemed to tick faster than it did in his head and eventually, the guild's doors opened. Light stood up and brushed himself off using his free hand, the other hiding something behind his back. He looked to the two that entered.

"Got 'im!" V'kebbe exclaimed, pushing Jacke inside. She winked at Light and closed the doors, while Jacke stood upright, trying to figure out what was going on. Light tip-toed in excitement, the sudden realization of what he was about to do getting to him.

The captain didn't seem to understand what was going on. He adjusted his bandana, and looked to Light. "Ho there, Light. Somethin' ye needed t' tell lil' ol' Jacke 'ere?"

Light nodded, walking towards him. He reached his hand out towards Jacke's, taking his left hand and holding it up.

"Remember how I told you Thancred and I were in a happy relationship?" He asked quietly. Jacke nodded once. "Aye, the lad came 'n told me 'imself too. Weirdest experience I've ever had."

The smaller hyur let out a small giggle, before bringing his other hand from his back and sliding a small ring onto Jacke's finger. The guild master looked at it for a solid moment while Light still held it up, and as the other released his wrist he felt his shirt get tugged forwards, and a pair of lips collided with his.

Light's lips were soft, and he was almost disappointed when it ended. Light smiled and licked his lips, then put a finger in front of it. "Don't tell Thancred, but I was supposed to do that while putting the ring on."

"Oh?" Jacke raised an eyebrow. "Got some tips from yer boyfriend, did ye?"

Light looked away, feigning innocence. With how rough that kiss felt despite his soft skin, Jacke found it easy to look through his lie. "Maybe a tip or two. But the plan was all me, and V'kebbe even offered to get you out while I collected myself. The guild being empty wasn't planned, though."

"So, was yer plan t' just kiss me in front o' all th' others?"

Light shook his head, tip-toeing again. "No... I was going to get you to follow me to a secluded little place the ferry was going to take us and do it there. But the more populated, the more romantic, right?"

"Cunning lil' thing, ye are." Jacke grinned. "Well, I've got a day off now. Might as well spend it nicely. Where's this spot yer takin' me?"

Light, yet again, put a finger in front of his lips. He took the other's hand in his and guided him out. "Thancred's waiting for us on the other dock, He's probably starving too, should we get him a snack?"

Jacke shook his head, eyeing Light up and down. "Who's be needin' a snack when one's already 'ere?"

The smaller one blushed and looked away, guiding him to the ferry docks. Jacke considered that a win and waited until the ferry docked at the other shore to continue with his flirting. Light should've known this was what he'd get himself into when that ring was permanently placed on his finger.


	4. Horufette - Clinch

Someone was crying, and that was already a bad sign.

Edmont didn't like when people cried. It wasn't because he thought it to be a weakness - heavens no - it was mostly because he was always afraid of the reasons behind it. Through his days of being a Lord of his house, people crying on the streets was one reason he never liked to visit the Brume.

When he heard one of the Warriors of Light had been sent back to his house, he had originally panicked. Why would one of the Warriors of Light quit their quest of ending this ongoing war in favor of returning here? And what could send a Warrior of Light into tears like this?

Edmont quietly entered the room, his oldest son taking notice and trailing behind him quietly.

There, sitting on a chair beside the table, was the taller Elezen of the group. Horufette Astillieux, one of Haurchefant's childhood friends, if Edmont was not mistaken. And in his hands was... a wind-up toy, from the look of it.

Horufette seemed to have a third sense and looked to the door, spotting Edmont and Artoirel looking at him. A moment passed between the three, and Edmont swore he could see the entire reason why he was upset but couldn't quite grab it in time to remember.

"My a-apologies." He started. He wiped his tears away and stood up, putting his wind-up toy on the ground. "H-How unbecoming of me. I am but a guest in your house and I've already made a wet mess of the carpeting. I'll clean it right away if-"

Edmont put a hand up, though he regretted it after Horufette's expression quickly changed to guilt. He sighed and walked towards him. The other didn't move an inch, letting Edmont wrap his arms around the other like he was his fourth son.

"...Lord Edmont...?"

Edmont silenced him with a parental 'shh' of his own. The elezen relaxed into Edmont's embrace, and his tears came flowing back. He wrapped his arms around the lord and sobbed softly into his shoulder, though the elder could tell he was trying to silence his own tears.

Horufette wasn't his child, but it felt like it with the amount of times Hauchefant came running home with him. Just a boy on the streets, whose father was a lumberer and mother a quiet housemaid with a sickness that would carry her to her death bed. Edmont took pity on him, though before he could do anything Horufette had already declared he'd become an adventurer and journey out into the world. To see such a dream-driven fool be brought down to tears hurt him, deep in his heart.

"Why are you crying, son?" He asked quietly, petting his hair softly. If he had to be a parent to him, he would do it without question. "What could possible drive you to tears?"

Edmont let go of him and sat down in a chair adjacent to Horufette's one, with Artoirel joining him. Horufette composed himself rather quickly - how many times had he dont this before? - and started.

"Th-They fought him." He took another moment to find the correct words. "They fought Nidhogg. And they won."

Oh. Did Edmont misinterpret it? Were these really tears of joy?

"Then... you're happy, right?" Thank Halone Artoirel thought the same things as he did. "Is that why you're crying? Because you're happy they succeeded?"

Horufette nodded, and Edmont let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. But after a second passed he shook his head.

"I am happy, yes. Of course I'm happy. But..." He sighed. "It's... It's Vincent. He sustained a bad wound a while back and-and it reopened. He couldn't heal for a good duration of the battle and-" He took a deep breath in, exhaled, and continued. "-and I'm not sure how the others are doing."

Edmont, up until this point, hadn't realized how thoughtful the Warriors were until now. They thought of others before themselves, yes, but he had forgotten they also worry about each other like a competition. Horufette's fear was not unwarranted, but it should not have been as unexpected and surprising as it was to him.

"They're being tended to in Our Knights Most Heavenly but..." Horufette let out a small laugh, which sounded more like a pained cry than anything. "I know-I know I shouldn't be worrying like this. They're strong, they can endure it. And..."

For a moment, the world seemed to stop. Horufette looked up, his eyes clouded with tears and a mysterious presence Edmont couldn't quite put his finger on. He was smiling, looking up at the ceiling.

"And Mother will always be there."

Edmont frowned. He looked over at Artoirel, who seemed to be just as clueless as he was. Before either of them could get a word in, Horufette abruptly stood up and picked up his wind-up toy from the ground.

"Again, my sincerest apologies for your carpet." He bowed his head, and left the room. Artoirel was going to call after him, though Edmont stopped him.

"We're just going to let him walk off without asking who 'Mother' is?" His son asked. Edmont nodded, and got up. He had other matters to attend to after all. He just hoped that this 'Mother' person knew what she was doing.


	5. Mitsu - Matter of Fact

"I don't think you're seeing the problem here."

Mitsu sighed, shaking his head. Horufette shrugged, then dismissively waved a hand in front of his face. "The problem here is that they might need reinforcements. We all know Light's not a very good tank, he's only been kept alive this far because Vincent's good at his job."

The Raen huffed, crossing his arms. "Thordan's basically a primal now, _you_ of all people should know this! Not everyone can face off against a primal, so sending in reinforcements is a bad idea. What makes you think that'll help?"

Across the table, Aymeric closed his eyes for a brief second before looking up at both of them. "The Heavens' Ward will not take kindly to anyone interrupting their fight. What little we can do is what we shall, if we knew what it was."

Horufette looked between the Lord Commander and the woman standing to his side.

"Hey Hilda, do you have any ideas?"

The mongrel shook her head, looking to the other woman with them. Lucia, in response, took a moment to evaluate everyone standing before her. Mitsu did the same, though it wasn't much comfort knowing none of them had a clue what to do.

"We'll just have to pray for their return." She nodded. "With Cid there, I'm sure the _Enterprise_ could pick them up when they need it. No doubt Thordan will fight alongside the Wards as well."

A small silence passed between them before Mitsu processed what Lucia said. Thordan and the Wards would fight, not just Thordan. That would mean the primal was twice as threatening as it was before, alongside the combined power. Which also meant...

Mitsu looked over to Horufette, who was also glaring back at him. He nodded, and looked to the other four. Edmont, who had remained silent thus far, seemed interested in the silent arrangement that just took place.

"Is there something you have on your minds?" He asked politely. Horufette shook his head and took Mitsu's arm, dragging him up to stand.

"Nothing at all! We just need some time to... talk. You'll excuse us for the suddenness, I'm sure."

In the next moment, all Mitsu registered was being dragged out into the cold, then back inside somewhere warm.

His body never did well with snow, as the ocean never liked being frozen over. His home was warm enough for him to adjust, but the cold that Coerthas carried was nearly insufferable to a boy of the sea like him. Horufette was understanding enough of his intolerance to the cold to rush him into the Forgotten Knight right after leaving.

"My apologies about the abruptness of.... that." Horufette gestured vaguely to the stairs of the Forgotten Knight. Mitsu rested his head in his hand, nodding along. Gibrillont - thank the kami for that saint - brought him a glass of water and wine.

"You know what must be done, correct?" Horufette asked once Mitsu had enough strength to keep his eyes open for a minute.

"I do." He sighed in response. He'd hardly gotten used to being a Healer, as fitting as it may have seemed for him, but the times called for it. "Remind me again why we can't invite them to join us...?"

"They'd be a liability." The Elezen's smooth voice dipped down into just above a whisper. "As much as I appreciate Ser Aymeric's determination to see this through, they don't have the same roles adventurer's have. They don't have 'Tanks' or 'DPS', they only really have their classes. We can't bring them onto the field-"

"Because they don't see what we see." Mitsu sat upright. "I remember what Vincent told Light and I way back when."

Horufette smiled. "I'm sure they'll call us into battle when they need us."

"As a matter of fact, you're being requested now." Loud footsteps were heard coming down the stairs of the bar. Horufette panned his head to the side just to be able to see Lucia from the corner of his vision. He nodded, looking to Mitsu.

"Now or never. I'll look for the other two we'll need. Lets get rid of these Knights and move onto our target."

As Horufette got up and left the Knight, Lucia gave Mitsu a confused look, but it was washed away with kind eyes at the Au Ra's current state. "I won't ask why you came here. I suppose there are things better kept from Ser Aymeric and I."

Mitsu smiled and nodded again. "So many things.... I've gotta go get ready. See you, Lucia."


	6. Light - Team

"What do you think our commander is like?" Kehda'to asked out loud to the other 7 people in the room with him.

Right beside him, Meuliaire shrugged. "No doubt powerful, seeing as they're a Warrior of Light."

Pausing from her push-ups, Khorchi looked up at the Elezen with wide eyes. "Wait, a Warrior of Light? I had no idea we were being recruited by..." She whined softly, leaning on the woman beside her. "If I knew that, I would've been more energetic in the practice round..."

Cilia pet Khorchi's hair gently, pushing some strands behind her horns. "Is it not true we were hand-picked by them? Clearly they seen potential in all of us."

Kehda'to just put his head down on the table, giving a small hum for the others to acknowledge he isn't dead. "I bet they're very muscled... they have to be to wield all those weapons!"

"Weapons, plural?" Kelmomo, a Lalafellen woman sitting beside Meuliaire, asked in confusion. "How many?"

"Supposedly," Meuliaire started. "all of them. They know how to use every single one, which is why we have such a variety of people. I'm sure, just as every other squadron in the Maelstrom, the commander would have chosen people that complimented their abilities. But we're so sparse in weaponry, I doubt it crossed their mind."

"Well in that case," Dolfin spoke up while turning to lean against a pillar. "I've got every gut to challenge him up front."

A Roegadyn woman across the room just laughed. Cilia looked over to her and, while it wasn't obvious, she furrowed her eyebrows. "Something's funny over there, Raelthota?"

Raelthota leaned forward on the table, looking between Kehda'to and Khorchi. "Aye, e'ry bleedin' word! Ye really 'ave no idea who ye've been recruited by?"

"Clearly not." Raiden sighed. "Even if what you know is a fairy tale, you might know more than all of us combined."

Raelthota got up from her chair, but just as she was about to speak a Storm Commander walked into the room. The recruits scurried to their positions and held a firm line while the Lieutenant looked over them.

"A formal apology by your commander himself, he apologizes about the delay. Something about business in the Far East that called for his attention. He's here now, though, so hold your heads up high!"

The door behind the Lieutenant creaked open and part of a head peeked in. With a nod from the Lieutenant, the mystery person walked into the room.

With the silence that fell after, you could hear the ocean's tides from behind closed windows and a pin drop from five doors down the Inn across the Aftcastle. Though this silence ended with small giggling that came from the new commander.

"Surprised, are you?"

His voice was light as well, which made it all the more confusing. One of the Warriors of Light who is now their Commander, was an about-5-foot-tall Hyur with snow white hair and eyes, and freckles to match. Black lips that looks all too natural that made it all the more confusing when it was noticed he was wearing a skirt and crop-top.

"I was too." He commented. "I didn't realize it was this late, so I rushed over here in my Dancer gear. Give me a moment."

And with the blink of an eye, he was changed. He was wearing, what looked to be, Rogue gear. The recruits turned to look at each other with wide eyes before another giggling fit came from the Commander.

"Surprised again? Well, let me change that." The hyur gave a small bow. "My name is Light Raven. I'm known as the stealthiest of the Warriors of Light, the Ninja class being my main. You might know me formally as 'The Maid'."

It took another moment for someone to speak up. "So you're the one that marched through the streets-"

"Wearing a maid outfit, yes." Light sighed. "That was me. A situation I'd rather forget, but if I didn't everyone would get me mixed up with Vincent."

"Vincent?" Meuliaire asked. Light put a finger up and changed his outfit again, this time to - what looked to be - a spellcaster.

"Vincent's a healer, but he's a self-proclaimed 'Black Witch'." The Commander paused for a moment, then changed back into his previous outfit. "But stories should be saved for another time. I have to tell you my recruits, right?"

"S-Sir...?" Khorchi asked politely. "Are... Is-Is it true you hand-picked us...?"

Light nodded then looked to everyone in the room. "Two things you should know about me; one, I don't think roles should be gender-based. If I need a healer, I'm looking to your stats, not your looks. Second is I will always try and give everyone a fair shot. You're my permanent recruits now, so you should be told this early on for you to think about."

Khorchi froze. "P-Permanent recruits...?"

With a wide smile on his face, Light nodded. He walked to the table beside him and moved papers aside until he found one. "Ah, there it is! I was looking for this yesterday, couldn't find it. How did..." He shook his head and continued searching through the table after rolling the paper up and attaching it to the belt on his hip. He picked up a rather long piece of paper and held it out to the recruits.

"Missions upon missions upon missions... Right? Well, if you want a piece of the action, just come talk to me." He smiled. "I'll assess you all individually when I get the time. It was already a rush to get here, I'm pretty sure Hien is searching for me..."

"Hien?" Raiden asked. "Lord Hien of Doma? He's alive?"

Light paused for a moment, then nodded. "I'll explain more later. For now, do whatever while you're here. I'll come back later and give you something to do."

As the Commander walked out of the room, Raelthota retreated to a table in the back. She pulled it out to the middle of the room as well as the eight chairs from the back, and set them all down around the table. "Gather 'round 'n I'll tell ye all stories o' the Warriors o' Light."

With an unsteady, albeit eager, glance from each recruit, they all gathered around the table with an intense interest to whatever they were going to hear. They could always ask their Commander later whether they were real or not.


End file.
